MARS HILL, N.C. --- The Tusculum University baseball team belted five home runs on the day as the Pioneers split a South Atlantic Conference doubleheader at Mars Hill Sunday afternoon.
Tusculum won the opener 8-5 behind Brandon Trammell's three-RBI performance. In the night-cap, Mars Hill rallied twice, including two runs in the bottom of the ninth to edge the Pioneers 12-11. Tusculum (10-2, 7-1 SAC) won the weekend series 3-1 to improve to 7-1 in SAC play to remain atop of the league standings.
Game 1: Tusculum 8, Mars Hill 5
Tusculum jumped out to an 8-2 lead and held off a late Mars Hill charge as the Pioneers defeated the Lions 8-5 to run TU's winning streak to 10 in a row.
TU starter Keegan Ernest (2-0) picked up the victory while Justin Parker and Mitch McCain blanked the Lions for the final 2.2 innings.
The Pioneers jumped out to a 2-0 lead when Zane Keener led off the day with a solo blast down the right field line. Daulton Martin recorded his 65th career double to drive in Bryson Ford with the inning's second run.
Mars Hill answered in the bottom of the second with a pair of runs, but TU responded with three runs in the third, two in the fourth and one in the fifth to take an 8-2 lead. Trammell's two-run single in the third sparked the TU offense.
The Lions came back in the bottom of the fifth with three runs including a two-run single off the bat of Austin Treadway.
Game 2: Mars Hill 12, Tusculum 11
Ruben Trillo drove in the tying run with his single and Kyle Jenkins followed with his walk-off base hit to cap off a two-run ninth inning as Mars Hill rallied to a 12-11 victory to salvage a victory out of the four-game series.
MHU recorded 15 hits including Scottie Lee's 3-for-5 performance, while Jordan Lathe, Kyle Jenkins, Tyler Lala, Austin Purser and Austin Treadway had two hits each in the win.
Tusculum finished the game with 13 hits, including three hits and four runs scored from Keener and Martin posted a 3-for-5 effort as he came up a double shy of hitting for the cycle. He belted his second home run of the season and 19th of his career. He also posted his 14th career triple, tying him for third place all-time in TU history.
Trammell homered twice for Tusculum in the night-cap, while Bryson Ford also hit his second home run of 2021 and first inside the park, as he finished with four RBI in the game.
Tusculum jumped out to a 4-0 lead as Martin hit a two-run blast down the right field line in the first inning and Ford hit a two-run double in the second frame.
Mars Hill erupted for seven runs in the bottom of the second inning, highlighted by two-run singles from Jenkins and Lee to take a 7-4 lead. The Pioneers plated three run in the top of the fourth to tie the game at 7-7 thanks to a RBI double from Keener and a two-run inside the park homer from Ford.
The Lions scored twice in the fourth to regain the lead at 9-7. Tusculum scored a run in the top of the fifth to cut the deficit to 9-8, but MHU got the run back in the bottom of the frame to go back to a two-run advantage. Tusculum made it a one-run game again at 10-9 thanks two Martin's two-out RBI triple in the sixth.
Neither team would score again until the ninth as Ford was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. Ford stole second and Martin struck out to bring up Trammell as he blasted a two-run shot to right field as the Pioneers regained the lead at 11-10. TU loaded the bases with two outs, but left some potential insurance runs on base.
In the bottom of the ninth, with McCain back on the mound for his fifth inning of relief, surrendered a lead-off single to Purser. Treadway flied out but McCain hit Kameron Reynolds with a pitch to put the tying and winning runs aboard. Trillo came on to pinch hit and he singled to left to bring home pinch runner Trey Putnam with the tying run. On play Trillo moved to second on the throw. After an intentional walk to Lathe, Jenkins singled to drive in the winning run and end the game.
Carlton Jackson pitched the ninth inning for MHU and picked up his first win of the year. McCain suffered his first loss to even his record at 1-1. McCain went 5.1 innings, allowed three runs, five hits, three walks and seven strikeouts.
The Pioneers return to action on Tuesday when they host Lenoir-Rhyne for a non-conference, mid-week game at Pioneer Park beginning at 4 p.m.
